The Hopedale baseball team had taken a 3-2 lead in the top of the seventh inning. The Blue Raiders were one out away from winning the Division 3 state championship in the final game of coach Joe Small’s 24-year career.

Disney has made movies with more believable endings. Then Hopedale’s Hollywood tale turned into a horror story.

With two outs and the bases loaded, Middleboro shortstop Kevin Huscher delivered a line-drive single up the middle to deliver the game-winning runs for a 4-3 victory at LaLecheur Field.

The Blue Raiders were left crumpled over on the field and in the dugout, watching as the Sachems celebrated the title that a few moments earlier had seemed destined to be theirs.

"We saw the cruel side of baseball today," Hopedale starting pitcher Dan Mantoni said. "It’s kind of hard to process right now what happened. I think in time we’ll all be OK. It’s kind of hard thinking that this was my last game, but I can’t complain about it.

"Sometimes, you get the short end of the stick."

The emotional Small, who won a state title as a Blue Raider player in 1968 but never in his two dozen years making out a lineup, exerted every bit of energy he had pacing back-and-forth in front of the dugout throughout Saturday’s game.

"I guess it just wasn’t meant to be," Small said. "I’m just disappointed because these kids will live with this for the rest of their lives. I’ll be fine … or maybe I won’t. I think after a couple of days I’ll be OK and realize exactly what we did this season. Right now, we are all just devastated."

Hopedale’s Kevin Lynch opened the top of the seventh with a single and went to third on a sac bunt and fielder’s choice. He scored the go-ahead run on an RBI groundout by Cole DeDonato.

Hard-throwing left-hander Ian Strom came on to close it out. Though Strom struck out two batters, he also walked three to set up the thrilling conclusion.

Huscher delivered the final dagger to give the Sachems the trophy.

"I was actually looking for the curve," Huscher said. "It was a 1-1 count and if it was a curve I was going to go to right-center with it, but when I saw it was a fastball I made my adjustment and was able to put it in a good spot. This is an amazing feeling."

Following their coach’s lead, the Blue Raiders grinded out at-bats and hustled at every turn all morning.

But after three innings of play, they had nothing to show for it and trailed 1-0 following a Taylor Frazier RBI sac fly for Middleboro in the second inning.

Page 2 of 2 - After stranding five runners, Hopedale finally broke through with timely hitting in the fourth against Sachems starter Cody Younger.

With two outs and Strom — who had singled — on third, Chris Embree tied the contest up 1-1 with a bloop double to right.

Nick Holmes then put Hopedale on top for the first time when he drilled a single to deliver Embree.

"It doesn’t get any better than that," Small said. "Our kids were battling their tails off and they showed that kind of fight today and the entire season. I’m proud of each and every one of those 17 kids."

Mantoni, who went six innings and allowed two runs, preserved Hopedale’s 2-1 lead momentarily with a brilliant display of pitching in the bottom of the fifth.

He allowed a walk and a single to begin the inning before striking out the next two batters, the latter leading to a strikeout-throw out scenario at third base to cut down Frazier attempting to steal.

"Coming into a state championship game, you are expecting it to be a close game and every out matters," Mantoni said. "When you get into tight situations and they are trying to score, you have to do everything you can to stop them."

Mantoni nearly escaped another jam in the bottom of the sixth after allowing a one-out double to Huscher.

Needing just one more strike to avoid damage, Mantoni left an 0-2 pitch up in the zone that Middleboro’s Andrew Card laced down the right field line for a triple to tie the score 2-2.

"Andrew’s such a loose player, he’s the joker of the team, and nothing ever gets to him," Middleboro coach Bill Lawrence said. "After getting down 0-2, he didn’t let it affect him and that was huge hit to bring us even.